It's the D Day in India 🇮🇳 as after a marathon six-week, seven-phase voting, votes are being counted for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and results will be known today.

The counting of votes has already begun amid tight security. Voting took place between April 19 and June 1 in 543 Lok Sabha seats to send one representative each to the Lower House of the Parliament. Any party or coalition needs a majority of 272 seats to form the government. This year's Lok Sabha election was the second-longest since India's first election in 1951-52.

The trends generally emerge within an hour of counting and the results become clear by the afternoon of the counting day.

This time, the BJP has set a target of 370 seats for itself and 400 seats for NDA.

The BJP's campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party's biggest star campaigner, PM Modi participated in over 200 public meetings, including rallies and roadshows.

The Congress, attenuated by poll losses and a string of defections, is part of the Opposition bloc INDIA taking on the BJP. The INDIA bloc's campaign featured joint rallies by Opposition leaders.

The contest between the BJP and INDIA alliance in the Lok Sabha polls is a reflection of a broader ideological battle.